


My Best Friend's Hot

by drouinmackinnon



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-25
Updated: 2014-07-25
Packaged: 2018-02-10 08:19:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2017746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drouinmackinnon/pseuds/drouinmackinnon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 things Jo does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Best Friend's Hot

**Jo can't sit still.**

Nate knows it's not an on purpose thing but sometimes after a bad loss, or when Nate's tired and cranky, it's really annoying. The worst part is, whenever Nate snaps at Jo for tapping his foot all the time on the bus or tapping his pen against the table when they're trying to do school work, Jo gets this really guilty look on his face and mutters 'Sorry, Nate' all shy and hurt sounding. It makes him feel like a grade A dick, he always offers a quick 'Sorry, I'm just tired, y'know?' and a half-hearted shove at Jo's shoulder and he never really feels better about it until Jo finally grins at him. Jo always starts up his movements again after 10 minutes or so, but Nate just deals with it. He accepted it a while ago, it's Jo, that's just what he does.

**Jo is handsy.**

Not handsy in a creepy way, he just likes physical contact. Nate doesn't mind, why would he? Objectively, Jo's attractive. He's got that dark hair and dark eyes combination that makes Nate slightly weak, he can speak French, and he's obviously in great shape. So, Nate reasons, his tiny crush on his team mate/best friend is completely fine. If it also means Jo constantly has a hand on Nate's knee, or shoulder, or the back of his neck, that's just a perk. If Nate happens to lean into the touch sometimes it's fine, Jo doesn't mind (or he's oblivious, which is more likely) so it's fine. So after a hard earned win, when Jo notices Nate sigh and settle into the arm Jo's draped over his shoulders, he tightens his grip slightly and asks Nate if he's okay. Jo gets a sigh and a 'Yeah, I'm feelin' a bit better' and a half smile. If Jo bites his lip to stop himself from grinning and pulls Nate in even closer, it's just the exhaustion after the game setting in. Definitely not something else.

**Jo really _really_ likes caffeine.**

Seriously, the only times Jo doesn't have either coffee or a soda next to him is when he's playing, or asleep. Nate never really paid attention to Jo's habit (it was an addiction, despite what Jo says) but sometimes when Jo was wired off caffeine he'd just chat about absolutely nothing for hours. It was funny, hearing Jo try to explain the entire plot of Breaking Bad or some new album he's really into. Occasionally, Jo would get like that in the middle of the night and ring Nate because Jo wanted to talk and Nate was perfectly content to just listen. It was those nights, though, sometimes Jo would get really earnest and sincere and talk to Nate about how coming to Halifax was his best decision or how he knows that he and Nate will kill it in the NHL when they finally get there. Tonight Jo was just talking about their friendship, about how he knows even though the chances of them playing together in the NHL is so low they'll still be best buds, how they'll still have these dumb 2am phone calls, how it'll suck not being able to pass the time on flights with each other, how it'll be weird without Nate by his side. It made Nate's chest hurt with how much he understands what Jo's saying and how much he  _needs_ this not to change because it's just getting good. Instead of saying that, though, Nate just makes vaguely affirmative noises and laughs slightly in all the right places because when Jo gets like that, that's what Jo needs. Not all of Nate's emotions, Jo just needs to know that Nate is there.

**Jo never shuts up.**

Nate loves it, that snarky little comments Jo will mutter to him under his breath. Especially when they're stuck on the bus, just making these dry remarks about the conversations their team mates are having. The way Nate smiles even wider when Jo side-eyes him, almost like he's checking to see if Nate thinks it's funny. Which, of course he does, because some of their team mates talk fucking loud and Jo will just turn to Nate and murmur 'No way, really? That's crazy' to someone's conversation about some crap their friend said in school. Nate's favourites, though, are when it's just them watching some shitty comedy film and Jo keeps up a sarcastic running commentary. Just these scathing little observations that make Nate grin, or when Jo gets that little self-satisfied smirk after he's made Nate have to hold back full blown laughter. Jo's smart, too, sometimes they'll watch crappy quiz shows and Jo will just casually come out with the right answer. It's crazy because it'll be a question on a book that Nate's never heard of, or something in history that Nate has a vague grasp on and Jo will just state the answer like it's the most obvious thing. It almost makes Nate feel dumb.

**Jo doesn't do any of those things to anyone else.**

They're at world juniors when Nate notices that Jo doesn't do any of things with anyone else. He doesn't shut up, sure, and he still drinks too much caffeine but he doesn't lean into anyone and rest a hand on their neck, or make any snarky comments to them, or side-eye them into laughing, or apologise when one of them calls him out for tapping his foot, or even try to explain anything to them during one of his too-wired over-caffeinated moments. Nate didn't even realise he was waiting for Jo to do any of those things, he feels something like jealousy when he sees Jo lean over to Ryan Strome and say something. Strome doesn't laugh, Jo doesn't side-eye him. Nate practically pulls Jo out of the room and into the corridor. 'Fuck you, Jo, man. I thought you. But then you didn't? Then just now with Strome. I dont. I need. Why do-' Jo cuts him off, tells him to breathe and continue. Nate sucks in a breath 'You do all these things and I thought you just did them? Then you only did them with me, and then I realised I don't want you to do them with anyone else. Jo, I don't know how- we- I mean. Fuck. I want, no I  _need_. Look, this is it and I don't think I can go anywhere else unless I know that you need all of it as much as I do? All the phone calls and the quiz shows and that dumb smirk when you make me laugh and everything. I need to know you need it all as much as I do.' Jo kind of stares for a second or two then just says 'Remember when I said going to Halifax was my best decision? I meant it, I still- always, Nate, I mean it.'

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly because of [this](http://youtu.be/vJasev0xDZs?t=7m11s) video, [this](http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/story/?id=412655) article, and [this](http://38.media.tumblr.com/aa6123a153af3922d37fa08afa2549a8/tumblr_mzmki7y2JM1sqoakto1_500.jpg) tweet.  
> Title from The Dollyrots' [song of the same name](http://thedollyrots.bandcamp.com/track/my-best-friends-hot).


End file.
